Mercury Retrograde: Introduction

The first Mercury Retrograde of 2020 is heading our way, in fact it’s already here as we entered the ‘shadow phase’ a few days ago. The first Mercury retrograde of this year falls in Aquarius and Pisces. So, will it be revolution or peace on earth? At the moment I think it’s safe to say that’s anyone’s guess. So, in this post, I’m going to look at the February 17th Mercury Retrograde in detail, phase by phase, and I’m going to begin with the shadow phase as that’s where we are right now.

Mercury entered the shadow phase on February 2nd 2020 at 08:41 UTC. So, as many of us were considering what to tip over our cornflakes, all the things we thought we knew were being upended before we had even had the chance to read the morning’s headlines. This shadow phase sets the scene for the actual Mercury Retrograde period later in the month. So, what can we expect for the next couple of weeks?

Mercury shadow phase chart February 2nd 2020

A quick look at the chart for the moment (courtesy of astro.com) shows a couple of interesting things. First, Mercury is situated in the twelfth house (in my world) and second, Mercury has only one notable aspect, a sextile to Uranus in the first house. This may seem minimal but don’t jump to conclusions before I’ve looked at this in more detail – and I’m going to start with the twelfth house.

Mercury in the Twelfth House

So, what is it you’re not being told? The twelfth house is the house of secrets and over the next week or so, you may get the impression that you’re not getting the full story. And impression is what it will be. You may have hunches and moods you can’t quite explain.

Your contacts may seem to go underground and if there was ever a Mercury Retrograde designed to make your old mobile phone give up and die, this is the one. The twelfth house brings things to an end, but don’t be surprised if some of the conclusions you reach are the wrong ones as you may be easily confused by this evasive and secretive Mercury placement.

Mercury Sextile Uranus

I said don’t be surprised by what you hear and with Mercury sextile to Uranus you may need to prepare yourself for some surprises. When Mercury is in aspect to Uranus you know the truth is out there, somewhere.The sextile aspect opens the door for the truth to make itself known so, confusing or not, following those hunches could be a good thing to do. The information that’s revealed could be shocking or enlightening. Be prepared for news that could force you to make some quick decisions or even radically change your mind.

Mercury turns retrograde on February 17th at 12:54 UTC. The theme of communications issues really is big in this Mercury Retrograde – even though, with Mercury Retrograde it’s what you would expect. However, this month has real challenges and this is why. The chart for the retrograde motion shows the following – and it really builds on the background we’ve seen in the shadow phase.

First, Mercury is in conjunct Neptune, the planet of deception. Or is it inspiration? Sometimes it can be hard to tell. Second, that conjunction is close to the Midheaven in the tenth house. You literally will not be able to miss it. The conjunction squares the Moon so indicates that there is a real tension between your head and your heart. Finally, the conjunction sextiles Jupiter. Whatever it is, there’s the risk of overreaction, big time. So, let’s start to unpick this particular Mercury Retrograde in motion.

Mercury Retrograde Motion February 2020 Chart

Mercury in the Tenth House

With Mercury retrograde so close to the Midheaven, the issues that were perhaps hidden in the early part of the month are now being made public. This doesn’t mean you’ll be washing all your dirty linen in public, however, it does indicate there will be some important information comes to light you were not aware of previously.

This will have most impact on those of you with important planetary placements close to this degree. However, as this chart shows the major thrust of this Mercury Retrograde period, this theme could emerge in different ways for many of us.

Mercury Conjunct Neptune

I’ll start with Mercury in Pisces, conjunct Neptune. That folks, is a double dose of deception, delusion and confusion going on there. This follows on nicely from the twelfth house Mercury we saw in the shadow phase. The theme of confusion and misinformation continues except this time, it’s more than just a hunch.

If there are lies to be exposed you can expect to hear them now. Or, you may discover that what you now find to be true casts doubt about where your future lies as you could be thrown into confusion about what to do next. It may not be an easy time.

Mercury Square Moon

This aspect really compounds the issues I’ve already described. There’s some stress going on with this aspect as someone’s feelings are going to be hurt by the things that are being said and done. It’s almost a classic, “It’s not you. it’s me”, aspect as someone tries to let you down gently.

You’re still being let down though and it still hurts regardless of the fluff that’s being cast about. Moodiness in some form could feature at this time. However, you may be inspired to work things through and that could be the best option in the circumstances. Try to stay calm and be kind – even if it’s not easy.

Mercury Sextile Jupiter

This aspect however, could bring an opportunity to look for the solution you need. If you need to be tolerant after what you’ve discovered then it’s possible you’ll be able to be so – just don’t be a doormat or fall for any big lies. Regardless of what’s been happening, your mind may turn to the future as you’ll be able to take the positives out of the situation. Not everything is a lost cause and silver linings can appear from the darkest of clouds.

Mercury Direct Phase: March 10th – March 30th 2020 (Aquarius 28˚ 13″)

Mercury turns direct on March 10th at 15:59 UTC. Mercury going direct is always a sign you can start to move things forward after a period of review. The theme of surprises continues as once again, Mercury has only one aspect to deal with and, once more, it’s a sextile to Uranus. This time, however, Uranus is also conjunct Venus so let’s see what that adds to the mix.

Mercury Sextile Uranus

So, what makes this Mercury Uranus contact different from the one we saw earlier in the month? There is still the element of shock and surprise, although this time the reasons for it are out in the open. Venus adds a connection to love or money and changes to either or both of these issues could be the result of the things you’ve been involved with in the past few weeks.

To move on, you’re going to have to accept change – and do so with a positive attitude. Fortunately, Venus’s influence on Uranus makes this more likely as you know that being true to yourself is the only way forward. After all, if you can’t trust yourself, who can you trust?